Here at the Literary League, we’re a group of English teachers who truly love literature (we bet you already figured that part out). Given free time, we can all agree that there’s nothing better than leaping into a good book. But, even as avid readers, we have to admit that those spare minutes tend to be few and far between, especially during the school year, and there are times that we just have to …

leap into a book recommended by a friend, a colleague, or especially a student, who is anxiously awaiting our review

leap into a new novel we’re teaching, whether or not we’ve had time to fully prepare a complete unit

leap into a classic, maybe not one of our favorites, but something we know students need to sit with in order to grow as a reader

For those instances, the Literary League is teaming up to share some of our favorite resources to help you Leap into Literature. These are resources that are not tied to a particular book, but ones that can be used over and over again, both with your favorite novels, as well as with new texts or classic pieces you’re trying to breathe new life into.

A favorite resource I use to engage my students in literature is my NOVEL STUDY - READING JOURNAL FOR ANY NOVEL. I have used these graphic organizers with students from 5th-10th grade with success with many, many different novels! Combine the graphic organizers with standard chapter questions or use them in different combinations for different chapters or sections of the novel.

You can read about other engaging literature resources from the other Literary Leaguers linked up below!

We are coming up to the time of year that most students dread.... final exam time! I currently teach secondary students and I see their anxiety and hear their fear. The more they talk about their test anxiety the worse it gets... it's a viscous cycle! I taught a student last year who spent more time fussing about a test than ever doing anything productive. Over the last 20 years of teaching I've come up with a few ways to reduce their anxiety.

1. Talk about it! Address student fears and concerns by asking them what aspect of the test they're most worried about. Ask them to share their concerns with each other... sometimes just knowing that others feel the same way is enough to make my students feel better.

2. Create a plan! Students at my school write a series of final exams over a week in June and my students can find that very overwhelming. I give them a blank calendar and they write in the exams they have and then I ask them to schedule their study time. Just seeing it all laid out on paper and creating a study plan can be helpful to reduce anxiety. 3. Make sure there are no surprises. I give students clear lists of what they are expected to know for their test / exam. I provide a check list of topics and skills they will be assessed on. Rather than saying "You have an astronomy test next Wednesday." I give them a specific list of vocabulary and concepts they will be tested on.

4. Review, review and review some more! Practice makes perfect! We play review games (see this blog post for a fun review game!), we do crossword puzzles (my kids LOVE these as a take home study guide - I make mine using www.eclipsecrossword.com and I give them practice test questions.

Here's a fun and easy review activity for you and your students - FREE in my TpT Store!

5. Test Day Fun! On the day of a test I always give my students a candy to suck on... a lollipop / sucker or a hard candy. They love the candy of course... but there is something soothing and relaxing about having a sucker in their mouth. Perhaps it's a throwback to being a baby?!? But it's a very calming technique for my students... and it's an inexpensive, fun and tasty treat for them.

6. Teach Test Taking Skills. I teach my students throughout the year little tricks to help them write a test. I tell them to skip questions they're not sure about... and to go back to them later. I tell them to never leave anything blank... there are a ton of tips and tricks we pass on as teachers. Vocabulary associated with tests can also be taught. I have a set of Exam Key Word posters that I use to teach key word vocabulary to guide students in test writing. You can purchase a set in my TpT store HERE.

Would love to hear of any other test taking tips below to help reduce student anxiety!